Bovine mastitis is a condition where the udder of a dairy animal becomes infected and is caused by a broad spectrum of pathogenic microorganisms. Examples of such pathogenic microorganisms are Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and Candida albicans. 
If untreated, the condition usually leads to the inflammation of the udder. This typically results in an undesirable reduction in the quantity as well as the quality of milk produced by the dairy animal.
In order to effectively control and prevent the occurrence of bovine mastitis, the udder of the dairy animal is usually treated with an antiseptic lotion or disinfectant before and after the dairy animal is milked.
Conventional antiseptic lotions contain a variety of antimicrobial agents for eliminating the presence of pathogenic microorganisms found on the udder of dairy animals. These antimicrobial agents include chemicals such as iodophers, quantenary ammonium compounds, chlorhexidine salts, chlorine release compounds, oxidizing compounds, protonated carboxylic acids, acid anionics and chlorine dioxide. The chemicals found in the antimicrobial agents are undesirable for prolong use in disinfecting the udder of dairy animals.
Other conventional antiseptic lotions contain substances that are naturally produced and less toxic, such as essential oils. Essential oils are found naturally in plants and have antimicrobial properties. The oils are extracted through a distillation process and are usually hydrophobic. This means that the oils are not suitable for formulating into an aqueous mixture.
The United States of America Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies lemongrass as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). This means experts consider lemongrass a safe substance when it is added to food. Lemongrass is therefore exempted from the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) food additive tolerance requirements.
Studies conducted by Brian et al., published in Journal of Agriculture Food Chemistry, 2002, Vol. 50, Pg 1345-1349, show that essential oil extracted from lemongrass processes antimicrobial properties. However, the essential oil of lemongrass is not readily soluble and therefore, is unsuitable for use in formulating into an aqueous mixture.
There is therefore a need to provide an essential oil that is hydrophilic for formulating into an aqueous mixture and for disinfecting the udder of dairy animals.